by From trash comes rhythm, trash is turned into tunes. At La Halle de la Machine in Toulouse, I watch Ignacio Herrero, one of the La Halle team, making music out of recycled items of junk.
This hangar-like space in southern Montaudran is best known as the home of the giant animatronic Minotaur Asterion and his equally large spider companion, Ariane. Among the exhibits the team has shown, however, is also a makeshift orchestra: an old klaxon turned into an organ, a giant abandoned guitar wheel, a cascading drum cymbal beat, an accordion powered by a contraption that worked as windshield wipers in a previous life. Ingenuity, innovation and whimsy are all magical – music and engineering coming together harmoniously in a way that would have Heath Robinson burst into song.
Toulouse has always been one for breaking boundaries: La Halle de la Machine is next door to the L’Envol des Pinniers Museum, which celebrates early French aviation, and three miles from the themed Cité de l’Espace science museum space. From October 31 it is now an official Music City designated by Unesco, in recognition of Toulouse’s music institutions, music education and exceptional festivals.
Music is as much a part of the city’s DNA as it was when Toulouse’s medieval counts were sane patrons of the Occitan singing trumpeters who provided the medieval soundtrack. In many places the city hall shares its space with the national theater and opera house, in this case the Théâtre du Capitole, but it is what happens behind the neoclassical pink facade of the Capitole, its most prominent landmark Toulouse. The Christmas market is in full swing during my visit, filling the elegant Place du Capitole arcade with bright wooden sheds, the smell of mulled wine, and stalls selling gooey goodness. alligatorthe Aveyron region’s signature dish of cheesy, garlicky mash.
At the Théâtre du Capitole I take in an extraordinary performance of Monteverdi’s The Return of Ulysses with the Toulouse-based Gemelliensemble I. It is the last in the run, but it gives a taste of the theater’s rich program of opera, classical music and ballet. With baroque operas ringing in my ears, I walk over to the student quarter next to one of Toulouse’s three universities. The Gothic cloisters of the Couvent des Jacobins provide an atmospheric setting for concerts including the Piano aux Jacobins festival, and the Toulouse conservatoire, which is training the next generation of musicians.
When I arrive at Place Saint-Pierre near the Garonne River , I am firmly in student territory. I’m not sure why the bar Le Saints des Seins calls itself the saint of breasts, but it’s popular with live music and DJ sets. A little more grown-up is a few minutes away at Flashback Café, whose DayGlo interior brightens up a cold December night with brightly colored inflatable sofas, a giant screen for gamers, and a stage for live bands and DJs. I’m sorry I won’t be around for their “ugly sweaters, mustaches and mullet haircuts” theme night. I have also taken the time to go further along the river to jazz club Le Taquin, an intimate space that hosts local and international jazz musicians, as well as funk and world music artists.
Le Taquin jazz club is an intimate space featuring local and international jazz musicians, funk and world music artists
Two of my favorite Toulouse cultural institutions – the art collections within the Fondation Bemberg and the Musée des Augustins – are closed for renovations, the former until February and the latter likely to open in late 2025.
I stayed in one of the newest boutique hotels in Toulouse, the Central Hotel Les Capitouls. It’s not often you walk into a hotel reception and see posters of Joy Division, New Order, the Stone Roses and Haçienda nightclub, but something about 1980s and 90s Manchester inspired the hotel’s French designer, Thierry d’Istria, to pay tribute to give. As well as posters, cassette tapes and other musical items have been turned into works of art in the rooms and public places. They even named the bar Le Wilson, although I expect it has more to do with nearby Place Wilson than Manchester music maverick Tony.
A recent addition to Toulouse’s cultural – and culinary scene – opened in September in La Cartoucherie, an ecological district close to the 11,000-capacity Zénith Toulouse Métropole music venue. Les Halles de la Cartoucherie emerged from the ruins of a former munitions factory and is already a honeypot. Proudly displaying its industrial heritage, Les Halles is part food hall (with stalls offering everything from cassoulet to West African cuisine, as well as a butcher and food shop) part co-working space and part fitness center (with squash courts, gym ). and a climbing center) with spaces for courses and workshops. In the spring, its ultramodern music center will be opened for concerts and cultural performances.
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Judging from the tables full of people eating dishes of Peruvian ceviche, Sri Lankan curry and Lebanese meze among others, the formula clearly works. Eating well in Toulouse is easy, and a great pleasure. I was reminded why I fell for Toulouse years ago when I walked through the Victor Hugo food market, one of the largest covered markets in France, and where some of the best products of southwestern France are found. I can’t stay away from the stalls selling regional cheeses, including the holy trinity of rocamadour, roquefort and cantal.
The charcuterie displays take me back to an evening earlier in my visit, when Jessica Hammer of Taste of Toulouse took me on a wine bar tour, culminating in the platter of cured hams and cheeses at Maison Sarment. Oh, and the wine, of course, including the underrated Cotes de Gascogne and Gallac so typical of the southwest. Hammer, a wine expert and former cheesemonger from Michigan, fell in love with Toulouse six years ago and never looked back. In a place full of the joys of life, and surrounded by such delightful beauty, it is hard not to be seduced by the song of Toulouse to the south.
This tour was provided by the Toulouse tourist board. There are doubles (one room) from Hotel les Capitols €159
